The two most important criteria for the greatest superhero movie performances are: 1) is the performance the most memorable in the film and 2) does the performance stand the test of time? See my answers below!
Ranked in No Particular Order
1. Wesley Snipes as Blade 🗡️ proved that a Black superhero lead and an obscure comic book character could be bankable at the box office. He also was the driving force behind the most successful comic book movie franchise since Tim Burton’s Batman franchise in the late 80’s/early ‘90’s.
2. Heath Ledger as The Joker 🃏 in The Dark Knight (2008) was the first superhero movie performance to win an Oscar. Enough said.
3. Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man 💥 restored RDJ’s career and ushered in the greatest superhero movie franchise to-date—the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
4. Joaquin Phoenix as Joker 🤡 is the second superhero movie character to score an Academy Award. Maybe it’s something about the Joker character?
5. Christopher Reeve as Superman ☀️may have typecasted the late, great actor a bit but he is still the standard-setter for big budget comic book movie leads.
6. Chris Evans as Captain America 🇺🇸 is a match made in heaven, in terms of perfect casting. And he’s starred in arguably the best comic book movie trilogy of all-time.
7. Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool ⚔️ is even more perfect casting than the Star-Spangled man above ⬆️. Seriously, it’s like Wade Wilson is Ryan Reynolds or vice versa.
8. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine 🐾 doesn’t fit in terms of physical stature—the 6’4” Jackman is way taller than the comic book character, who stands at 5’3.” But for my money, Jackman’s performance in Logan should have been the third superhero movie Oscar winner on this list.
9. Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther 🐆 was magnificent. Just because Michael B. Jordan may have stolen some scenes as Erik Killmonger, the gravity of Boseman’s performance still resonates—so much so that his untimely passing shapes the sequel’s storyline.
10. Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange 🧙♀️ is hella-underrated, just like the movie itself. When I heard that Joaquin Phoenix didn’t take the role, I was initially bummed. But Benedict’s performance settled me down.
